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R. S. PEABODY. y

. BOAT.

No. 552,618. Patented- Jan. '7,41896.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modei.)

BOAT.

Patented Jan.. 7, 1896,.

ANDREW B-GRAHAM.PHDTO-LITHQWASHINGTOMDC Nrrnn STATES i ATENT ROBERT SINGLETON PFABODY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,618, dated January '7, 1896. Application filed May l, 1895. Serial No. 547,814. (No model.)

To a/ZZ wiz/0m it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT SINGLETON PEABODY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improveniente in Boats, of which the following is a specification.

. The principal obj ect of my present invention is to conserve the force or energy exerted upon the water by a moving vessel and its propelling means and subsequently dissipated, lost, or wasted in the creation or generation of useless and idle wave motions, and to utilize the resultant of such force or energy for generating or creating a useful wave movement or force` that disturbs the equilibrium of the vessel or boat and thus causes it in seeking to regain its equilibrium to partake of a forwardmovement. To this end I employ forward or bow propelling means that move toward each other through the water,- stern propelling means, and a peculiarlygrooved hull conformation hereinafter described; and I construct and combine these elements for conjoint or reciprocal action in the manner hereinafter set forth. p

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following descriptiomtaken in connection with the .accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a boat or vessel embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the under side of the hull thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the under side of the hull. Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the same. Fig. 5 is asectional view of the 4front portion of the boat taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 to 10 are cross-sections taken on the lines 6 6, 7 7, S S, 9 9, and 10 10 of Figs. 1 and 3. Figs. 11 and 12 are perspective views illustrating modified arrangements of the stern propelling i the location of the crest of a transverselydisposed wave motion which is constantly generated by the resultant of the forces acting upon the water in a manner to be presently described and which moves sternwardly as the vessel advances and yet maintains the described position of its crest relatively to the point d3. This point a3 and the crest of the transversely-disposed wave i motion .are located aft or in rear of the center of gravity of the vessel, and consequently cause the latter in seeking to gain a position of equilibrium to partake of a forward motion, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The portion CL4 Of the hull abaft said point CL3 is fullbottomed, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 11, and 12, in order to ride or iioat upon the transversely ranging or disposed wave-crest above referred to and hereinafter more fully described. Clinging of water to the hull is obviated in ordinary vessels by the falling oif of the hull under the after part of the run and under the counter; but in my invention the stern propellers draw down water from the full-bottomed hull.

b and b', Fig. 4, are propellers disposed at the entrances of the grooves c and rotated through the intervention of any suitable prime mover (not shown) in opposite directions in such manner that theirlowest portions turn inward.

b2 is a propeller preferably more powerful than the propellers b and b and disposed at or near the stern-post of the vessel and driven by said prime mover. In Fig. 1 this single stern propeller is attached to thewhull in the ordinary manner. However, it may be mounted in a centrally-disposed groove b3, Fig. 11, extending from aft of the full-bottomed portion a4 and sloping upward toward the stern. Two stern propellers b4, Fig. 13, rotated through the intervention of a prime mover in opposite directions in such manner that their lowest portions turn outward, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 13, may be employed. These two stern propellers b4 may be disposed on opposite sides of the stern-post or at the exits of two grooves b5, Fig. 12, that start from a point aft of the full-bottomed portion CL4 and slope upward and diverge toward the stern.

It may be remarked that the inherent IOO strength of the grooved part or parts of the hull may be increased, if required, by passing bands around its exterior or carrying the hull plates or sheets of iron directly around and over or past the grooves, although I believe this to be unnecessary. However, when done it aifords protection to the propellers, which in the case of war-vessels is a desideratum.

The mode of operation of the foregoing improvements may be described as follows: When the vessel is at rest its hull is immersed to a certain depth in the water and is preferably so ballasted as that its bow is slightly more depressed than its stern. The rotation of the propellers causes the vessel to advance, and the advance of the vessel and ordinary operation of the propellers of course imparts energy, motion or force to the water. According to my invention, the motion, energy or force imparted to the water is not lost ordissipated in the creation of idle wave movements, but on the contrary is availed of in the following manner: The forward or bow propellers l) and b', since they are located at the entrances of the converging grooves a/ anfL are rotated in opposite directions in such inanner that their lowest portions turn inward, force the water not only from each side against that from the opposite side, but also sternward and thus create or generate a wave motion which ranges longitudinally and transversely of the vessel and which moves sternwardly, but maintains the position of its crest or crests in respect to the hull,because the latter carries the instrumentalities that generate the wave movement or movements. rlhe keel of the prow a2 parts or divides the crest of the longitudinal wave motion and turns it into the grooves a. However, the buoyant effect of this longitudinally-disposed wave motion, as well as the immediate and prompt action of the bow propeller-s, lifts or slightly elevates the forward portion of the hull or bow,whereby the Vessel or boat is brought to and maintained upon a substantially even keel. Portions or divisions of the longitudinally-disposed wave motion,together with water otherwise delivered, enter the grooves ce and give rise to a sternwardly-moving wave motion, and the action of the bow propellers is to create this wave motion and the action of the sternpropellers is to draw it down7 so that the conjoint or reciprocal action or eo-operation of the fore and aft propellers and described hull conformation results in the production of a transversely disposed or ranging wave motion that travels in a direction opposed to the direction of motion of the vessel. Moreover, the crest of this transversely-ranging wave motion always occupies substantially the same position aft of the center of gravity of the vessel, because the means that generate it are carried by the vessel or boat. Clearly the presence of this transverselyranging wave motion, of which the crest is always aft of the point a3, tends to cause the vessel (first ballasted so as to be depressed at its bow) in seeking to regain its equilibrium to move forward under the influence of its weight. f

It will thus be seen that the vessel of my invention travels as it were over rather than through the water and that the bow propellers and hull conformation, together with a part of the action of the stern propeller or propellers, determine the wave movement over which the vessel travels, in such manner that the resultant of the wave movement operates conjointly or reciproeally with gravity to assist in the propulsion of the same.

The stern propeller or propellers not only operates or operate to perform the abovementioned function of assisting in the maintenance and creation of the desired transversely-ranging wave crest beneath the ship by drawing down or destroying the transversely-ranging wave motion aft of the point a3, but also by reason of its or their relatively greater power operate to force and hold the hull in proper relation to all the wave movements which occur beneath it, and which have been already referred to. In cases where two stern propellers h4 rotated in epposite directions in such manner that their lowest portions turn outward are employed, they not only tend to draw down the transversely-ranging wave motion, but also to dissipate it laterally.

It may be remarked that the actual displacement of water is not as great in my improved boat as in boats as hitherto constructed and propelled, because in the latter the water must bewedged away and removed and consequently caused to dissipate the force or energy expended in creating its idle wave motion, whereas in the former the grooves a', hull conformation, and propelling means cause the boat to glide over the water, and inasmuch as the displacement of water is less in my improved boat than hitherto it follows that skin friction is also reduced.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A vessel provided with convergent longitudinally convex grooves a', extending from opposite sides of its prow and merging with its bottom aft of midships and having a propeller at its stern and propellers disposed at the entrances of said grooves and rotated in opposite directions in such manner that their lowest portions move inward, substantially as described.

2. A vessel provided with convergent grooves a', extending from opposite sides of its prow and merging with its bottom aft of midships and with a concave groove aft of midships and extending in the middle of the hull to its stern, and having a propeller at the exit of said stern groove and having propellers disposed at the entrances of said convergent grooves and rotated in opposite directions in such manner that their lowest por- IOO lIIO

tions move inward, scribed.

3. A vessel provided with convergent grooves ct, extending from opposite sides of its prow and merging with its bottom aft of mdships and with divergent grooves eXtending from aft of midshps to its stern and having propellers at the exits of said stern grooves and rotated in opposite directions in snoh manner that their lowest portions move outward and having bow propellers disposed substantially as deat the entrances of said forward grooves and rotated in opposite directions in such manner that their lowest portions move inward, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT SINGLETON PEABODY.

Vitnesses:

ROBERT THOMAS, ANDREW B. CAMPBELL. 

